Taking to social media 72-year-old Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber has made public his decision to take part in a coronavirus vaccine trial, saying he will do anything to "prove that theatres can re-open safely".
Webber took to social media to tell his 209.2m Twitter followers, "I am excited that tomorrow I am going to be vaccinated for the Oxford COVID-19 trial. I'll do anything to prove that theatres can re-open safely."
As a volunteer, Lloyd-Webber could be given the vaccine or a placebo, information closely guarded by the scientists alone.
I am excited that tomorrow I am going to be vaccinated for the Oxford Covid 19 trial. I’ll do anything to prove that theatres can re-open safely. - ALW
— Andrew Lloyd Webber (@OfficialALW) August 12, 2020
As stated on their website, the vaccine was developed at the University of Oxford’s Oxford Jenner Institute and is on trial in the UK, where over 4,000 participants are already enrolled into the clinical trial and enrolment of an additional 10, 000 participants is planned. The University of Oxford has teamed up with drug company AstraZeneca for the new ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine.
The trial currently has thousands of participants not only in the UK but also in Brazil and here in South Africa. The South African study is being led by Witwatersrand University vaccinology professor Shabir Madhi with the trial being undertaken at several sites across the country.
As one of the most prolific and commercially successful composers in history, Lloyd Webber has been extremely vocal about his government’s decision to shut live venues saying that social distancing is not economically viable in theatres.
As many struggling artists in South Africa have done, he has called for more support from the powers that be for all those who simply cannot earn a living due to the pandemic.
